Londell Smith (from left) introduced Todd Kleismit alongside Mayor Sharetta Smith at a listening session on Tuesday evening hosted by the Allen County Museum.
Precious Grundy | The Lima News
LIMA — America is preparing for a monumental year commemorating its birth as a free country. In 2026, the U.S. will be 250 years old. The Allen County Museum hosted a listening session hosted by Mayor Sharetta Smith, Londell Smith, and Amy Craft on Tuesday evening. The event was led by Todd Kleismit, executive director of the Ohio Commission for the U.S. Semiquincentennial (or 250th anniversary).
The Ohio Commission was formed in March of 2022. Their goal is to inspire all 88 counties to participate in this national holiday and showcase Ohio’s role in our nation’s history.
Kleismit shared how America’s bicentennial in 1976 shaped his present day.
“We are trying to create this runway toward 2026,” said Kleismit. “We can all come to this with a different lens. For me, a lot of the ‘why’ goes back to my own childhood. I was 6 years old when the nation’s bicentennial occurred in 1976. I remember a lot of the red, white and blue fire hydrants, patriotic commercials and commemorative coins. It really did shape my interest, sparked my imagination and made me really interested in history. If we do our jobs well, 6 or 8-year-olds in 2026 will feel like they can connect to the American story or Ohio history that will be a great indicator of success.”
The public listening session gave community members an opportunity to share their ideas and concerns when looking back at the nation’s history. Many felt it was important to have mature conversations about the past and look forward to a better future.
Mayor Smith shared recent news in the city of Lima and how the history of our nation is often closer to home than we think.
“Recently the City of Lima partnered with Mercy Health-St. Rita’s, League of Women Voters and other local organizations to celebrate the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage,” said Smith.
“We applied to locate our connection to women’s suffrage. We were able to go back to some Lima News archives and discover there was a women’s suffrage march held downtown in 1914. We sent that documentation to D.C. and we were awarded a marker. It shows our connection in Lima to the national movement. Now we have an opportunity to connect not just Lima, but the whole region to American history,” she said.
Members of the community are encouraged to share feedback and ideas for July 4, 2026. Kleismit can be reached at [email protected].
